Long Island vodka slays the competition

This week's feature story in Long Island Business News takes a look at LiV Vodka, a spirit crafted in Baiting Hollow using local potatoes.
But in addition to writing a feature story, Ambrose Clancy set up a blind taste test for several editorial department members in order to pit the local imbiber against more well-known vodkas.
The ...

You’ve got to be kidding. I tried that LIV vodka and it’s the worst vodka I’ve ever had (and purchased for a more than premium price, I might ad). I certainly hope the makers of this vodka don’t expect to win any awards or they’ll be sorely disappointed – this vodka reeks of potatoes and impurities both in smell and in taste. Currently it’s wasting space in my freezer until I build up the strength to throw it away (and the $35 I spent for it).

First a quick history lesson, Vodka is traditionally made from wheat. When first made in Poland (back in 500 AD) it was called bread wine because it was fermented from wheat and not grapes. When the Russians perfected the craft (at about 1200 AD) they named it vodka (after the Russian word Voda, which means water). It was so named because it’s supposed to be a neutral spirit, having no taste, smell or color. So the only things that affect the taste are: 1) The product being fermented. Traditionally wheat, but when wheat was in short supply they would use potatoes, which (when done right, not like LIV) ferment into a smoother alcohol; 2) Amount of alcohol in the vodka – this was standardized to 38% by the Russians around 1800 AD and rounded off to 40% for tax purposes. Any less than 38% and the vodka is too watery, any more and the burn is too harsh (most commercial vodkas abide by this standard); 3) Distillation method – cheap vodkas buy ethyl alcohol from ADM and mix it with water, most others are pot distilled (the more distillations, the less contaminants, and the better the vodka), the best results, however, are achieved with column distillation; 4) Filtration – the more impurities that are filtered out, the smoother the vodka.

So ideally, Vodka should have no taste or smell and offer just a little bit of a burn at the back of your throat as it goes down. Based on that criteria LIV fails miserably. There are a lot of good vodkas that do meet this standard (including one potato vodka made right here in the USA) but I won’t mention them as I’m not writing this to promote one brand over another (P.S. Grey Goose isn’t one of them – it’s a mediocre vodka developed in the U.S., produced in France, well filtered, but over priced to make it look like it’s something special).

I’ll be curious to see how LIV rates if and when it’s tested by the Beverage Tasting Institute.

Vodka can be made out of anything, including potatoes, wheat, rye, and corn, and each gives their own character to the finished product. The point of buying these distinctive types of spirits is to enjoy what they bring to the table.

Rye vodka has a lovely spicy character that hits the tounge hard before disapating, wheat vodka is notoriously neutral and leaves much to be desired as a stand alone spirit. Corn vodka has alot of body and a pleasant sweetness, and potato vodka is MEANT TO HAVE POTATO CHARACTER.

For this reason, vodka competitions now have seperate categories for vodkas made from wheat, rye, corn, and potato.

Perhaps you should have researched that bit while you were looking for the historical background of the spirit.

I have tried the vodka and i found it to be quite satisfying. Perhaps you should try a little experiment. Take the vodka out of the freezer (like a good vodka drinker should) and try your favorite brand at room temperature along side LIV. Then tell us which one is smoother and has less burn. I think you be surprised.